Steve Irwin may have died quite some time ago but he is still having an impact on the world of animals in an amazing way. The latest is a cartoon of Irwin greeting animals that lost their lives in bushfires to heaven. That image has gone viral.

The Atlanta, Georgia artist, Sharnia-Mae Sturm uploaded the image to Instagram on New Year’s Eve. She wanted people to know more about the impact the fires in Australia were having on animals.

In the illustration, you can see Steve Irwin welcoming many animals that died in the fires, including kangaroos, koalas, and other critters. He is kneeling with open arms, telling the animals: “Don’t worry little guys! I’ll take care of you!”

The picture started going viral within a few days and is now popular across many social media platforms.

According to Sturm, her Instagram account was deleted after being hit with so many comments and likes.

Sharnia-Mae wrote on her Sketcy Koala Facebook page and says she hopes Steve is caring for those deceased animals in heaven.

She wrote: “So… it’s sad to say that I’ve spent about 3 weeks or so on this and the subject is still relevant.

“This little tribute drawing goes to all the innocent animals caught in the blazes across my home country, it breaks my heart to see it’s still going on but there’s only so much that can be done to keep it from spreading.

“I hope all the animals who couldn’t make it are now in heaven with Steve Irwin, being taken care of, and not having a care in the world or memory of how they got there. Rest In Peace fuzzy babies, we will miss you.”

https://www.facebook.com/SketchyKoala/photos/a.875530395907344/2569414223185611/?type=3

Her Facebook post also received many emotional replies to those who were touched by her kindness.

One mom wrote: “I’m actually crying seeing this. My daughter has asked where all the animals have gone after they passed away from the fires and now I can show her this and she will be able to understand.”

A second person commented: “I love these drawings, they say it all, well done, it touched my heart.”

A third said: “Just beautiful. Thank you for taking the time to do this and share it.”

While another added: “This is absolutely beautiful. Actually made me cry. I love Steve Irwin and still can’t believe he’s gone. Our loss of animals is so truly heartbreaking.”

Sharnia-Mae gave her personal thanks, saying: “I appreciate all this love and support more than you can believe. I’m so happy to see many people be so touched by this.”